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Letter: Squelching of golf talk a disgrace

How's that preserve-y, enhance-y thing workin' for ya, city? Your empty words and no supportive action for citizens and volunteers make a mockery of your mission statement.

Shame on the four City Council members who voted to take the Red Wing Municipal Golf Corp. off the March 25 agenda. Ralph Rauterkus made the motion, seconded by Mike Schultz and supported by Peggy Rehder and Marilyn Meinke, to remove the proposal for the three-year, 36-hole operation of the golf course from the agenda. That was petty, small-minded, and arrogant; the rules could have been suspended easily to consider this compromise proposal.

Shame on council for putting up roadblocks for over two long years to the nonprofit group that wanted to partner with and help the city to keep this valuable city-owned golf course open. The City Council was not looking out for the best interests of Red Wing or its citizens. The city and the council were always negative, being influenced by people with a strong desire to see this publicly owned recreational area fail.

Shame on those people who worked to convince the council members to shut down the course. "I don't want my tax dollars going to pay for the public golf course" is a selfish statement. If one does not choose to use a public facility, why would one want to deny the use of it to others? How civic-minded is that?

Shame on the Republican Eagle Editorial Board for not doing investigative work, taking a stand and calling people to task. Riding the fence is weak and lazy journalism.

How many $25,000 "studies" of our publicly owned assets does the city staff advise the council to approve, and the council eagerly follows along? Just think of the great public golf course we would have had this year here in Red Wing if the city had partnered with its citizens and spent the $400,000 plus $25,000 on opening the golf course instead of closing it.

Do the right thing, council. So far, you have listened to and followed the wrong voices.